What should I ask for my 04 Special ed Boxster S???
 

It's time to try something new. Going to put my baby up FS.
Hard to tell what I should ask. KBB has gone up for this model since I bought her 3 years ago?

Most of this is from memory, I keep a detailed spreadsheet with everything I have done on my home computer.
I bought her with 20,000 miles about 3 years ago.
Extended Warranty 6 years or 75K, transferable and has 3 years/47k left.
Every option except nav. 6 speed manual
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Here are the stats on my Boxster.
VIN# WP0CB29874U661258
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2004 Boxster S special edition, 550 Spyder with 28,000 miles.
Porsche Boxster S 550 Spyder (50 Years Anniversary Edition) (2004) - GotBroken.Com
Near perfect in and out.
Hard top, I found a new one that the dealer still had, have not seen one on a special edition?
They were a $4500 option from the dealer.
Bose sound system with 6 CD changer.
Covered and garaged when not in use.

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Impecably maintained!
Within the last 2 years
New battery
Water pump, thermostat, coolant (water pumps have been known to fail and kill engines)
Spark plugs, belt, air filter
All 4 wheel bearings, only one was making a noise. I bought the Porsche tool to do these. Porsche charges $500-800 a wheel for this.
Dustless brake pads, stainless steel brake lines, recent brake fluid flush
Recent engine oil and filter, usually done every 2-3k
Transaxial fluid changed
New air oil separator
Smart top relay, like the new Porches you can put your top up or down with one touch and moving under 30mph.
Front bumper removed and radiators cleaned properly, repainted bumper since it was off!
All inside and outside lights switched to LED.
Front and rear trunk struts (shocks) replaced
Hard wired for V1 radar detector etc etc
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All manuals, 2 keys, receipts and pics of all work done.
Various manuals and books from Porsche of the anniversary edition, collectable stuff?
Car cover, front bra, thick hanging bag for hardtop.
Tires are PS3 Michelins with 80% tread left.
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Kelly Blue Book Value
Retail, from a dealer $34,964
Private party $31,600
Trade in $27,600

What price should I ask for her?
Thanks for your input.
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Just a few pics
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps92a2feda.jpg
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...psd50c22f6.jpg
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...d/IMG_0791.jpg
http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...d/IMG_0793.jpg

Nice car!!

Don't let people tell you this isn't worth a premium vs. a standard Boxster S. Another member sold his about two years ago (MTS) and got a very good price, his was exceptional and had some very nice upgrades. His thread on selling his:

http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/30033-saying-goodbye-boxster-s-sold.html

As far as where to advertise your car, if it were me I'd copy and paste your ad here, Rennlist, 6speed, Renntech, Pelican and lastly Autotrader (where I found my 993). Craigslist is free and all, IMO the headaches wouldn't be worth it for this kind of a car, although the replies and trade offers can be entertaining if you are bored.

Very nice car. FWIW the latest Excellence mag guide says 25k is top $ for 04 S. Condition, documentation, the 550 model, hardtop, etc should make this more if you can find the right buyer. One challenge is competing with early 987 models at the upper price of 04 986s. You can also check Edmunds and NADA values. WHen I was shopping I found KBB to be higher than Edmunds. Good luck with the sale.

IMHO, it's all about where you sell it. A non-enthusiast Boxster shopper may not realize or value how special your car is. Id begin with ads in Panorama, this site, 6SpeedOnline, Renntech, Pelican, and strangely, Craigslist.
Good luck. You've got a great car, and I hope it goes to someone who appreciates that it's the pinnacle of the 986 series.

Thanks for the kind words and advise.:cheers:

I will start to take more pics so I can post it better in all the location you mentioned.
I had a dealer offer me $27 in trader so I know its worth more than that?
I will probably list it for around the KBB price of $31,500 and hopefully a Porsche enthusiast will see it.

I think what really sets this rig apart from the other anniversary ed is hard top, extended warranty, condition, mileage and maintenance:)

If it does not sell for a reasonable price I will store it for the winter:(

I am in Eugene Oregon
Cell 541-954-4144 for any questions etc

Does that extended warranty come from the factory? If not do they cover IMS-related repairs?
Very low mileage, single-bearing cars are one of the prime candidates for this failure. In fact, the member MTS mentioned earlier had an IMS failure at the same mileae (20K?).

So I would do a preventative bearing swap if you are holding out for top dollar (or somethign for a fellow 986forum.com member to consider) it can only help the sale and improve the ownership experience. I would also replace the coolant cap if the original 10 year old one is still on, this should be part of the waterpump job to ensure the best job and definitely a pre purchase inspection check list item.

If a dealer offered you $27K I'd jump all over that. I think you will have a very difficult time getting more.

it does seem like a very good offer. The 2000 to 2004 Boxster S is essentially the same car.
Much like the 40th Anniversary 996 Carrera, The 550 has some extra options a little bit more power (but much more weight than the 2.5's) but those are not really what hold up value. It's mileage. Which this car has going for it. In general a genuine 'special edition' Porsche is one with a special edition engine, like the RS 4.0. The rarity of the engine is what makes it hold top dollar value not the trim/options (see brand new 991 Carrera vs. 997 GT3 RS on resale)

I think you would need to find a buyer who was really in love with the 986 S to expect more than $30K. Otherwise the typical Boxster buyer, up to his ears in available Boxsters, Caymans and Carreras to wade through, will be content to go with a 987.1 with a bit more mileage (a good thing) for same money.

Thanks for all the feedback

Of course the warranty covers the IMS this is why I got it.
Peace of mind.:)

Just make sure you really are ready to part ways. Don't Rosenfe!!!!

Are you a member of, or are you able to contact, your local Porsche Club? Seems like that would be a good place to start, both for valuation and potentially finding a buyer.

Very nice car! Love the hardtop.

New to the forum and 986s but not to the Porsche world.

I just bought a super clean guards red 2002 S with 41k, full service history (including a full service and all issues addressed) and a decent number of options including Litronic and Turbo look wheels from North Scottdale Porsche for $18k. The car was on the lot for 2 months and orginally they wanted $24k. I wasn't in a hurry to buy and had a very good selection of 986s to pick from so I used that to my advantage and worked three sellers (I looked at over a dozen cars). Even at $18k I didn't consider it a great deal but decent as I was willing to pay more for this car as it had the color combo I wanted and a recent service. The dealer even accomadated my request to put the car on a lift for me and open up the oil filter to view. Based on my recent prespective as a buyer and long time Porsche enthusist the $27k trade in offer sounds really good. For similar money you are talking early 987s which I consider more desirable. You may be able to get a little more but you may have to be really patient to find the right buyer.

Is it a Porsche extended warranty?

There's a high-mileage 550 edition that's been for sale locally and on Ebay for a few weeks at $18,999. Clearly yours is in much better condition and has the hardtop, but I don't know if that would add more than $10k. The last one I saw on Ebay had 23,xxx miles and topped out at ~$22k (didn't hit reserve) if I recall correctly.

If you find the right buyer you may get a premium over the trade-in offer, especially if it's a collector in which case the hardtop will likely help the value.

Personally I'd keep it!

-Tom

A little more info below.
Yes it has 8 more HP than the S but I really like the M030 suspension, short shifter, wheel spacers, sport exhaust and 2 tone light Carrera wheels. I can't appreciate the HP but the rest of the std items listed above are sweet.

"In 2004 the 550 Spyder 50th Anniversary Edition was released, with a production run of just 1953 cars. These were all painted GT Silver Metallic, the same color as the car-show version of the Carrera GT supercar, and had unique cocoa-brown full-leather interior as standard with grey natural leather as a no-cost option. Each car also had special interior paintwork, a high-end BOSE sound system, two-tone grey and silver 18" Carrera wheels (unpainted as another zero-cost option), 5 mm (0.2 in) wheel spacers, the Boxster S sport exhaust, the M030 option sports suspension, and a plate on the center console piece commonly known as the "batwing" showing the production number. Only on the American market cars were the rear turn signals red rather than clear."

I am not changing my mind, it is for sale.
My local Porsche dealer is getting me a quote soon.
Thanks all:cheers:

Tom you are right and I will regret it someday. But I have done this many times and it's time to move on and enjoy something else:)

Unless you are in a rush, I would price it high and sit back an wait. IMHO, you have a special car there that is in pristine shape and well documented. It will take the right buyer that wants that particular car. Good luck.

I'm thinking about 15k would be a fair price. Who do I make the cheque out to? :D

You are killing me:cheers:

I am in no rush and I have a spare garage in can sit in for the winter.
It super nice and needs to go to a to Porsche guy or girl:)

Take the 27k and run...was this toward a trade however?...because that changes drastically what they will offer. I recently sold a 2007 Base in mint condition with 9400 miles for $27.5k...granted it wasn't an 'S' and in the 986 models the 'S' is definitely holding it's prices well now. I also just sold a 986 'S' and there were not a lot of nice ones on the east coast.

I do agree if you are not in a hurry ask a good price and wait, spring will be here soon enough :)